Refrigerating apparatus



May 13, 1930. 1 G, KlNG 1,758,259'

REFR IGERAT ING APPARATUS 'Filed sept. 28, 1927 A 2 sheets-sheet z /36 .f5 1 l 1 l Lf l l i I n .JJ 1

Z1 O 24' O O o OO o 25 O 26 Z5 g U 1U l 55 27' f 36 [29 jak z5 i `..)\g .94' .4 i 2 l /j "IF i 35 ll/31 2 7 l" l gnve'nroz W /4/7 wir /Ww/v/ML Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED sTATssrATeNT OFFICE JESSE e. KING, or DAYTON, omo, .As'sIGNoia ,BYMEsE'AssIGNmENTa To :FRIGID- AIRE conroRA'rIoN, A eonPonATvroN or DELAWARE BEFRIGEBATING APrAnATUs Application filed Se'pltemllv'er28,` 1927.- Serial No. 222,674.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, particularly to the form of refrigerating element and its arrangementin mechanical household refrigerators.

In small mechanical household refrigerating cabinets it is usual to provide a refrigerating element or evaporator which serves two purposes, cooling circulating air in order to cool the cabinet and freezing ice for table use. In small cabinets designedto be placed in restricted spaces little space is available for the evaporator and this necessarily reduces the quantity of ice which can be frozen in the evaporator at one time. Consequently in small evaporators it is very vdesirable to freeze ice quickly in order that an evaporator of such small water capacity may supply a considerable demand. It is essential,`how

` ever, that the capacity for cooling circulating air be not sacrificed to obtain a quick freezing evaporator. Evaporators of this t e have been proposedhavin a header'formmg a reservoir for liquid re rigerant and depending loops of pipe, generally rectangular in shape, which surround a rectangular enclosure or sleeve for ice-making containers. vIn order to j freeze ice quicklyl it has been proposed to solder the loops against the sides of the enclosure or sleeve and then attach to the loops fins which project outwardly from the enclosure to cool the circulating` air. An objection to these evaporators is that the loops of tubing for circulating refrigerant are not in Y contact with the sleeve on morethan two sides because itis practically impossible to bend the tubes abruptly enough'tomake contact with two adjacent sides of th'esleeve. i This presents an obstacle to reducing the freezing time ofan evaporator of a given" size.

It is among the objects-of the inventionto provide an improved form of evaporator, particularly one adaptable to small dimensions, which will have a large ice freezing capacity, and which is effective to cool circulating air. More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide an evaporator which is effec# tive to cool circulating air and which has a larger heat transfer path between the icemaking receptacles and the refrigerant con- 'vide an evaporator having the characterisf tics vmentioned which occu ies a small verticalspace and which there ore can beplaced in small cabinets.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being .had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the presentinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawings;

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a cabinet, a portion being broken away to show my improved `evaporator installed therein.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2`2 of Fig. 1. i j' Figs. 3 and 4 are side and front elevations respectively on an enlarged scale of the evaporator shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

` Referring to the drawings, a refrigerating cabinetl 10, has a cooling compartment 11 and a storage compartment 12 separated by a partition 13. The partition has an opening 14 to permit the iiow of cold air from the cooling compartment to the storage compartment and has side openings 15 for the iiow of warm air from the storage compartment to the cooling compartment. Vertical baflles 16 form lues 17 which carry warm air from the storage compartment up into the top of the coolingcompartment from where it iiows downwardly in contact with the refrigerating element 20and thence out the opening 14.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the refrigerating element includes a header 21 forming a reservoir for liquid refrigerant which may be supplied to it thru a conduit 23 under the control of a fioat valve, not shown. Gaseous refrigerant is withdrawn from the header thru a pipe 24. The construction and arrangement of the iioat valve and of the apparatus for circulating refrigerant is more fully disclosed in the patent to Osborn No. 1,556,708, October 13, 1925. Dependin from the header area number of vertica conduits 25 for circulating refrigerant which define a freezing space 2,6, within which is placed a preferably rectangular enclosure or jacent edge of the sleeve.

making receptacles, not shown. Preferably the sleeve is provided with ledges 28 which support a removable shelf 29. When the shelf is in position two shallow ice-making containers may be placed within the enclosure and by removing the shelf a single deep ice-making container can be placed therein. As noted in Fig. 4 the sleeve is spaced from the conduits 25. Preferably pairs of oposite conduits 25 are joined by an integral liorizontal conduit 30 thus forming substantially rectangular loops of conduits depending from the header. The conduits 25 are placed far enough away from the sleeve 27 to permit the formation ofA a complete 90 bend 3l between the conduit 25 and the adp This permits the entire horizontal portion 30 of the loop of conduitto be placed against the sleeve. preferably soldered to the sleeve in order to insure intimate thermal contact.

As manyTl of the conduits 25 as are necessary are thermally connected to the sleeve 27l by vertical fins 35 which are preferably soldered to the conduits 25, and as shown in Fig. 3, are provided with flanges 36 which aresoldered to the sleeve 27.

Thus the sleeve is in intimate thermal contact with the loops of refrigerant conduit on three sides and is therefore provided with a heat conducting path of large capacity which accelerates the freezing of water in trays placed in the sleeve. Nevertheless the por-4 tions 25 of the loops project out into the path of circulating air and, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, are separated from each other by spaces which permit the circulation of air between them.` Therefore not only is ice frozen quicklybut air circulating over the evaporator is effectively cooled.

Furthermore, -by spacing the conduit 25 laterally from the sleeve and placing the connecting portions 30 against .the sleeve the overall height of the evaporator unit is appreciably reduced. This permits successful operation in cabinets having shallow cooling compartments, such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The evaporator illustrated occupies substantially the entire height of the cooling compartment. Due to the arrangement of the side flues, lit is not necessary to provide s ace above the header for circulating air to ow over it. However it is necessary to provide a certain amount of space 40 between the evaporator and the walls of the coolingcompartment in order to permit the building up of frost on the evaporator without touching the walls. If frost were permitted to touch the walls, it would increase the rate of heat leakage intorthe cabinet from the surrounding atmosphere and cause the walls to sweat. referred to as occupying substantially all of the height of the cooling compartment, it is `to be understood that it leaves enough space It is.

Therefore when the evaporator is opposed, vertically extending conduit means for circulating refrigerant arran ed to define a freezing space, a'support or an icemaking container Within the space and remote from'said conduit means, and heat conducting fin means connecting the support and the conduit means.

2. A refrigerating element for refrigerating apparatusv comprisin in combination, opposed, vertically extending conduit means for circulating refrigerant arran ed to detine a freezing space, a support or an icemaking container within the space remote from said conduit means, and heat conduct'- ing means'connectin the support and said conduit means, the eat conducting lmeans including a plurality of fins spaced to vpermit the circulation of air between them.

3. A refrigerating element for refrigeratng apparatus` comprising in combination, opposed, vertically extending conduit means 'for circulating refrigerant arranged to define a freezing space, an enclosure for an icelmaking container within the space and remote from said conduit means and heat conducting lin means connecting the enclosure and the conduit means.

4. A refrigerating element for refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, opposed, vertically extending conduit means including a plurality of spaced tubes for cir-.

culating refrigerant arranged to define a freezing space, a support for an ice-making container within the freezing' space remote from said tubes, and heat conducting 1in means connecting the support with the tubes.

5. A refrigerating element for refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, opposed, vertically extending conduit means including a plurality of spaced tubes for circulating refrigerant arrangedi to define a connecting the opposed remote portions to the support.

7. A refrigerating element for refrigerating apparatus compris-ing in combination, a header forming a reservoir for liquid refrigerant and a plurality of loops of tubing depending from the header and defining a freezing space, an enclosure for an ice-making container Within the loops, opposed portions of the loops which form the freezing space being remote from the enclosure, and heat conducting fin means connecting the opposed remote portions to the enclosure.

8. A refrigerating element for refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a header forming a reservoir for liquid refrigerant and a plurality of loops of conduit depending from the header and defining a freezing space, an enclosure for an ice-making container within the loops, opposed portions of the loops which form the freezing space being remote from the enclosure, and vertical.

heat conducting fins connecting the opposed remote portions to the enclosure.

9. A refrigerating element for. refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a header forming a reservoir for liquid refrigerant and a plurality of loops of conduit depending from the header and defining a freezing space, a rectangular enclosure for an icemaking container within the loops, the bottom portions of the loops being adjacent to and in intimate thermal contact with the enclosure and the sides of the loops being spaced from the enclosure, and vertical heat conducting fins connecting the enclosure to the sides of the loops. A

10. Refrigerating apparatus comprising incombination, a cabinet having a cooling compartment; and refrigerating element occupying substantially the entire height of the cooling compartment including a header forming a reservoir for liquid refrigerant, an

- enclosure for an icemaking container beneath the header, horizontal refrigerant circulating ducts connected with lthe header and disposed in contact with the enclosure and means for cooling .both the enclosure and air circulating downwardly beside the refrigerating device including vertical refrigerant circulating ducts spaced from the enclosure in the path of circulating air and vertical heat conducting fins connecting the enclosure to said vertical ducts.

11. A refrigerating element for refrigerating apparatus 'comprising in combination, conduit means including a plurality of loops for circulating refrigerant arranged to define a freezing space, a support for an ice-making container within the freezing space, the bottom portions of the loo s which provide the freezing space being a jacent to and in inf timate thermal contact along the bottom of the support and the sides of said loops bemg spaced from the opposite sides of the support, and heat conducting iin means thermally connected with the supportand the sides of the loops.

12. A refrigerating element for refrigerating `apparatus comprising in combination, conduit means for circulating refrigerant, said 'conduit means being arranged to define a freezing space, a support for an ice-making container within the freezing space, the conduit means which forms the freezing space including a duct adjacent to and in intimate thermal Contact along the bottom of the su port, said duct extending upwardly from t e bottom and spaced from'the side of the support, and heat conducting fin means connecting the side of the support and spaced portion of said conduit means.

In testimony whereof I hereto alix my signature.

JESSE G. KING. 

